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MAKE EVERY ROAD INTERESTING.

THE NEW BMW Z4.

MAKE EVERY ROAD INTERESTING.

THE NEW BMW Z4.

MAKE EVERY ROAD INTERESTING. THE NEW BMW Z4.

There are no more limits to driving pleasure in the new BMW Z4. A roadster that could not be any better: open, sporty and thrilling. With powerful driving dynamics and progressive design, it has only one aim: freedom between the road and sky.

MAKE EVERY ROAD INTERESTING.

The new BMW Z4 and its highlights.

SPARKS ENTHUSIASM.

UNPARALLELED FREEDOM.

ILLUMINATE THE ROAD.

UNFOLDS GENERATIONS.

OPENS OPPORTUNITIES.

SPARKS ENTHUSIASM.

The exterior design of the new BMW Z4.

The leading role on every road. The San Francisco Red metallic paint finish with its bold character ensures the new BMW Z4's spectacular appearance, while the dynamic interplay of clearly drawn lines simultaneously emphasises its muscular silhouette.

UNPARALLELED FREEDOM.

The interior design of the new BMW Z4.

A stylish arrangement. The interior of the new BMW Z4 is defined by its clear design and the deliberate use of selected decorative features. The result is modern superlative quality and a pleasantly open ambience.

ILLUMINATE THE ROAD.

The lighting concept of the new BMW Z4.

With a new lighting design, the new BMW Z4 takes centre stage. High-precision full LED technology meets a puristic design language that for the first time uses vertical tubes for daytime running lights and high beam. Sharp aesthetics in a new interpretation.

UNFOLDS GENERATIONS.

The new BMW Z4: successor to the legendary BMW 507.

Two generations, two masterpieces. The new BMW Z4 is continuing the story of an automotive icon: the BMW 507. Up to the present day, it remains one of the most legendary and sought-after sports cars in the world. What unites the two? The Ultimate Driving Machine.

250 kW

In 4.5 adrenalin-charged seconds, the 250 kW of the M TwinPower Turbo 6-cylinder petrol engine accelerate the BMW Z4 Roadster from 0 to 100 km/h. There is no sportier way of achieving that feeling of perfect freedom.

UNFOLD YOUR AMBITION.

Driving dynamics of the new BMW Z4.

UNFOLD YOUR AMBITION.

Driving dynamics of the new BMW Z4.

No challenge is too great for the new BMW Z4. Thanks to the latest technology, its low position on the road and perfect 50:50 weight distribution, it achieves impressive performance of the superlative class.

ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE.

ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE.

The new BMW Z4 demonstrates what it was intended for: the open road. Equipped with up to 250 kW, it is a master of acceleration. Its wide track and short wheelbase simultaneously give it tremendous agility – a dynamic overall package that results in the Ultimate Driving Machine.

HANDLING.

HANDLING.

The BMW Z4 comes with everything a real Roadster stands for. A short wheelbase, a low centre of gravity, a lot of power and a perfectly tuned chassis. The result: superior handling with direct steering behaviour and high cornering stability.

SOFT-TOP.

SOFT-TOP.

The soft-top of the new BMW Z4 is the key to a pure and open driving experience. Whether on a mild summer evening or a sunny winter’s day, the roof opens or closes in just 10 brief seconds and does so while driving at a speed of up to 50 km/h – so that there are no upper limits to your driving machine.

THE NEW BMW Z4

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUSTRALIAN DESIGNER CALVIN LUK

BMW Australia spoke to Calvin Luk about his design of the third generation Z4; the design process, what inspired him and what he loves most about the new Z4.

CalvinLuk1

CalvinLuk2

CalvinLuk3

Read the full interview here:

Please can you tell us about your involvement in the design of the new BMW Z4 and the process that took place?

I was responsible for the exterior design of the new Z4. When we started the project some three to four years ago I was extremely excited. It is a car that, along with many so many other people, I love and have loved since I was a kid in Australia.

Each project starts with a design sketch competition between the designers, each pitches his or her ideas to management to convince them of the future direction for the vehicle. We took the best ideas and proposals from the 2D sketches and started developing them in the computer into 3D. From there we developed full scale clay models, where you experience the design in person. Leading a team of sculptors we develop and refine the design discussing with engineering and aerodynamics to achieve the best overall result.

Further refinement takes place even when we meticulously spend days, months and even years scrutinising the geometry of the surfaces, the fit and finish, all the way up until the first prototypes are produced in the factory.

One day you realise that the car is no longer a design model, but a real car. In the beginning, the old habit of circling the car as if it was a clay model, thinking of where else we might tune the design is still there. Although as the first cars drive around on the real streets, it is such an emotional experience as our hearts realise that something which was once a sketch is now a reality. A real car which people can see, touch, feel, drive and love!

I understand that you are very passionate about the Z4 and that you in fact own one? What is it about the Z4 that inspires you?

Ever since I was young, I have been so fascinated with BMW Z roadsters. It is a wonderful lineage, I recall seeing the Z3 coming out and being featured in James Bond Goldeneye – a family friend had one and I thought it was fantastic, it was only a few years after we had added the 3 Series to our garage, and I was already dreaming of designing cars at this time.

When the Z8 came out, once again I was in love. I even felt pain when I saw James Bond’s Z8 being sawed in half in the film ‘The World is Not Enough’.

As the first generation Z4 came out, it featured extremely dramatic modern sculpture, and I recalled seeing the design sketches and declaring to myself that one day I will be able to sketch like these amazing designers.

The first generation Z4 also has special meaning because I recall, taking a photo with Christian Meindl from BMW (the man who passed on my letter of dreaming to become a designer for BMW to the BMW chief of design when I was 16) at the Sydney Autoshow and BMW Z4 Australian premiere. Now, as an owner of a first generation Z4, it is quite special to remind myself of my journey becoming a car designer. My family drives a second generation Z4 in Sydney, and I am so honoured to have designed the newest third generation.

The BMW Z cars have always stayed in my heart and are some of the most emotional cars within the BMW range and always turns heads on the street.

When did you begin working on the design of the Z4?

We probably started the sketching around 2013, at that time my first two designs for the 2015 X1 and 2015 1 Series were in their final stages and I was still working on the X3 which launched in 2017. So it was an extremely busy time with many projects overlapping, but it was also extremely thrilling and exciting.

What was your goal/objective with the design of the Z4?

The goal was to design a sports car that was highly expressive and emotional, it should acknowledge the fantastic BMW Z heritage and at the same time push BMW design forward.

For me, I grew up with BMW as the ultimate driving machine and it had to resonate with this mantra – you had to have a sense of the machine and yet an emotional connection which gets you excited and thrilled, and a strong desire to jump in and drive the moment you saw it.

As a source of inspiration, I still think the BMW Z8 is one of BMW’s most beautiful pieces of design. I wanted to reference this car with the layout of the front-end proportions, the wide grill, the high up lamps, but push it to the future with slightly more angular form language, and extend the identity of BMW to encompass new vertically arranged double round icon lights. It gives the car a truly unique exotic personality and is something exclusive to the Z4 that no other BMW has.

What do you love most about the BMW Z4?

The front end proportions are great where we break away from the traditional horizontal layout of BMW design and move in a more exotic and sportier direction with a hint of Z8. The mesh grill, which took one and a half years to develop, reminisces of miniature airplanes and is the first modern BMW to introduce a mesh grill, moving away from vertical kidney bars.

The slim and sleek rear tail lamps give the car a futuristic look and is supported with a dramatic sculpture across the rear wing which provides downforce and three-dimensionally stretches the rear of the car, wrapping around to the sides.

There are elements which I am most proud of, some things people might not ever really see, but they will be able to feel it. They will be able to feel the drama of the light catching on the twisting bodyside movement dramatically leading to a powerfully flared rear wheel arch muscle. This creates the sensation of how well the car sits on the road, rear wheels protruding from the body.

The movement in these surfaces were particularly unique and difficult to achieve, and I am really proud of the way the light has been manipulated through the design of the surfaces to generate this effect and feeling.

Was designing the new Z4 always a dream of yours?

Absolutely. As a kid my dream was to design a car that would one day become reality in our world and driven on the streets. My dreams came true with 1 Series, X1 and X3, however the Z4 is truly special.

To design a sports car is such an emotional experience, especially a car whose lineage I grew up with loving. When I was much younger, I had posters and models of the Z roadsters in my bedroom. I would stop on the footpath to watch a BMW Z roadster go past.

It is my hope that the design of the new BMW Z4 can evoke such emotions within people all around the world as they experience this sensational car!

UNFOLD YOUR STYLE.

The design of the new BMW Z4.

Breathtaking in every detail. The new BMW Z4 in its purest form: clear, modern and emotionally charged.

UNFOLD YOUR FREEDOM.

The soft-top of the new BMW Z4.

UNFOLD YOUR FREEDOM.

The soft-top of the new BMW Z4.

10 SEC.

This is how quickly the elegant soft-top of the BMW Z4 Roadster opens and closes – and does so during the ride up to a speed of 50 km/h. For thrilling driving experiences in the open air.

UNFOLD YOUR FREEDOM.

The new BMW Z4 M40i.

The BMW Z4 Roadster M40i recognises no limits. Numerous details inspired by motorsport set powerful accents and provide an exceptional measure of dynamics and agility. A roadster that translates the urge for freedom into acceleration.

QUICKLY OPENED.

The Anthracite soft-top with Silver effect.

POWERFUL POSE.

BOLD STATEMENT.

The free-form exhaust pipe finishers.

SPORTY AND LOW.

Silhouette of the new BMW Z4.

UNFOLD YOUR INDIVIDUALITY.

The BMW Z4 M40i First Edition.

Leave the mainstream behind and experience unique freedom: this is what the BMW Z4 First Edition reflects perfectly from front to rear. The exclusive paint finish in Frozen Orange metallic displays the muscular surfaces in an impressively precise design language. And thus extracts a new level of expressive power from the classic roadster genes. The BMW Z4 First Edition – a tribute to individual sheer driving pleasure.

Spectacular.

Die BMW Z4 First Edition is both athletic and self-assured. Hexagonal Bi-LED headlights with tubes arranged vertically for the very first time are aligned fluidly to the side, opening up the view to the centre: the flat, low-lying BMW kidney grille with its mesh design. Together with the M-specific air inlets, this adds extra breadth to the appearance of the front. Exclusive sporting flair designed for the road.

Impressive.

Viewed from the rear, the BMW Z4 First Edition conveys pure dynamism. The distinctive rear spoiler stands out elegantly from the surface while the lateral design lines flowing in at the shoulders frame the slim LED rear lights. A powerful conclusion: the rear apron of the M Aerodynamics package that combines with the diffusor and exhaust tailpipes to radiate a special presence and sporting flair.

Aesthetic.

This is what open-air driving pleasure looks like: the long bonnet, the classic soft top and the short overhangs define the characteristic roadster silhouette of the BMW Z4 First Edition. The sporty profile is accentuated by minimalist design with light and dark surfaces from the front to the rear. A dynamic form that culminates in the powerful shoulder line.